Italy-Argentina: too many Italian mistakes, the Pumas pass 37-16

Admirable commitment of Crowley’s boys, but in front of him there is an opponent who is still a step ahead

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Italy-Argentina: too many blue errors, the Pumas pass 37-16 (ph. Sebastiano Pessina)

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If you were asking to be competitive, all in all the Azzurri were, but it is clear: Italy is not yet ready to play against the top-tier national teams. Not that there was no desire, and – at times – Crowley’s team also seemed quite organized. Argentina made the difference with foot play, constantly sending the Azzurri into crisis with a series of kicks that have in fact created 3 of the 4 Argentine goals.

The lesson in the end is also too severe (21 points behind are excessive, at least for what we have seen on the pitch) but it is a lesson, and as such it must be taken: the Azzurri lost the air battle and the one in the middle of the field. , with the Argentine forwards that proved superior (excluding the scrum ordered for 60 minutes) making the work of an attack still to be built even more difficult.

The chronicle

Italy starts strong: pressure on kick-off, opponent kept high and turnover. The first scrum of the match is fundamental, the Azzurri play it well but do not manage a quality possession as well. The same thing happens at 5 ‘: Garbisi gets a nice penaltouche in the 22 Argentines, the ball is well brought down and then wasted with a wrong transmission. If against the All Blacks the problem had been the static phase, on this occasion it is the next phase to miss. At 8 ′ Boffelli graces the blues by missing the first kick of the match, but on the following drop-out an Argentinian bell ball creates the first goal opportunity: Boffelli anticipates Minozzi in the air and serves Kremer, who resists the tackle of Varney and fly to goal.

Italy feel the blow, lose two consecutive touches and Argentina drop anchor in the opposing half. Boffelli extends from the pitch for 10-0. It is a match for whoever misses the most in attack, but the Pumas have more experience in such tight matches, they make the Italian initiative already inoffensive and as soon as they have the opportunity they hit again with the game on the foot. Ioane misses a loose ball and Juan Martin Gonzalez has a clear path to go scoring.

The moment is difficult, Garbisi tries to shorten the pitch and he succeeds, and at 32 ‘the score is 3-17. Ledesma’s team drops a bit in intensity, and while not creating dangers, the Azzurri keep the pitch well. In the end of the fraction even the scrum plays its part: free kick earned, Garbisi (with the help of the pole) shortens again for 6-17.

The second half begins exactly like the first: aerial bombardment of Argentina and Italy unprepared. On the umpteenth ball thrown and recovered inside the 22, a numerical superiority is created that sends the Azzurri completely into the ball. Enlarged oval and Moroni flies towards the flag. Italy reacts: overflowing charge of Negri who breaks 2 tackles, the Pumas are forced to foul at 5 meters, they play fast with a series of charges, and in the end Varney takes the initiative and crushes in the goal. Garbisi transforms for 13-24.

Crowley inserts Fischetti, Fuser and Ruzza for Nemer, Sisi and Licata. At 50 ′ Riccioni remains on the ground after having hurt his knee and must leave the field on a stretcher, inside Ceccarelli. Garbisi is still perfect from the pitch and converts an obstruction on Brex into points: 16-24. Every time the Argentines enter the 22, however, they hurt: turnover recovered, good melee action and numerical superiority created offshore. The Azzurri are badly placed and Santiago Cordero scores the fourth goal of the Pumas

Crowley plays the Mori cards (for Minozzi, with Padovani passing to the extreme) and Pettinelli, on his debut, who takes the place of Negri. On the other hand Nicolas Sanchez enters and immediately puts in 3 fundamental points, because they bring the Pumas beyond the double break: 16-32. It cannot be said that the Azzurri did not try to the end, quite the contrary. The offensive initiative is as willing as it is not very effective, because the forwards hardly ever make their way and even for the back department it becomes difficult to invent something. Crowley also tries the Fusco card, who at 70 ‘enters for an exhausted Varney.

The fifth goal of Argentina also arrives on the development of a maul, with Facundo Bosch marking for 16-37. The blue commitment is admirable, until the end: beyond the 80 ‘Italy pours forward to look for the last points of his game, he also earns two free kicks but in the end he does not mark. It ends like this, with the Azzurri who can certainly save a few things from their game, but who still have to work hard to reach the goal.

Francesco Palma

The match report of Italy-Argentina

Italy: 15 Matteo Minozzi; 14 Edoardo Padovani, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Monty Ioane; 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney; 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 David Sisi, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Ivan Nemer

Available: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Giovanni Pettinelli, 22 Alessandro Fusco, 23 Federico Mori.

Mete: Varney 48′
Transformations: Garbisi 49 ′
Free kicks: Garbisi (32 ‘, 40’, 52 ‘)

Argentina: 15. Emiliano Boffelli; 14. Santiago Cordero, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Mateo Carreras; 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Tomas Cubelli; 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera; 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Marcos Kremer; 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1Thomas Gallo

Available: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Santiago Grondona, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Lucio Cinti

Mete: Kremer 9 ′, Gonzalez 29 ′, Moroni 43 ′, Cordero 55 ′, Bosch 76 ′
Transformations: Boffelli (9 ′, 29 ′, 44 ′)
Punishments: Boffelli 15 ′

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